Sorry this one was late. It was so hot on Day 7 that making a chapter set in the cold Mon Highlands would have probably driven me insane.
Thank you Presea for your review.
Tales of Xillia and the Tales of Series are the copyright of Namco Bandai and whoever else owns the rights. I own nothing except for OCs that haven't appeared yet/ever.
Day Seven: Gaius
Gaius stood upon a cliff overlooking one of the deep ravines of the Mon Highlands as the snow and wind whipped around him. He did not mind the cold, but the army of Taurus assembled behind him certainly did. Many of them were huddle together in tents or around fire fueled by spirit artes. But though they despised the cold, each and every man and woman was here by their own choice.
The victories Gaius had taken against the Long Dau tribe and King Merad Sarakhs had emboldened his own forces to a significant degree. Even amongst the Long Dau tribe itself his name grew, and now nearly half the tribe had defected from their chief to join him in claiming the country as his own.
That thought, was why he was looking over a ravine. The very same ravine that Bruno Long Dau had perished in during an unsuccessful retreat. This left the twelve-year-old Lin Long Dau as leader of the tribe. Unable to accept him owing to his young age, the nobles and soldiers of the tribe came to Gaius who had long since proven himself on the field of battle.
Not only was it a boon for the cause, but if Lin had access to the full of his forces he may have been able to win. For all his youth and inexperience in actual battle his strategies and compositions were phenomenal. Within just a week of taking command he had cornered and skirmished successfully against Gaius' army dozens of times. If the Long Dau tribe were at full strength then the "Little General" would have cut off the escape routes Gaius used and ended the revolution.
But the mismanaging of the campaign against Taurus by Lin's uncles and father had driven that support to Gaius. Whatever advantages Lin could make were too crippled by the mistakes of the past. But the boy himself was clearly of a different stock than his family. While under the rule of Lars Long Dau and his brothers the tribe placed no weight on the brilliant stratagems that Lin had employed. Which was why the four of them were dead. Lin had learned from their mistakes and come closer than any before. He was a brilliant boy.
Gaius needed him on his side. Someone who could break through the chains of outdated tradition was an invaluable person for Gaius' dream. Having that tactical brilliance on his side could end this war against Merad in no time with minimal casualties.
Now was not the time to confront the boy. He was still high on his successes so far. Gaius would be patient, show him that clashing was meaningless and would take forever. Find the perfect opportunity and convince him, and all the soldiers serving under him.
"The Long Dau army is on the move!" a messenger shouted from the camp behind.
Gaius let himself have a rare smile at the news. Lin certainly exceeded his expectations.
